#best episode X'D

[barisiscourtroom]

wow. way to disrespect my wishes, anon.

normally i would have answered an ask like that, it was anti Rollins but not violently hateful, but since you clearly sent it as a response to me asking people NOT to send me Rollins hate, i will not.

and going forward, i will not answer to anything anti Rollins.

i still don't ship Rollisi, i still think she's not perfect and that she has fucked up, but i also know that that's the point, no one is perfect, as these shows constantly shove down our throats.

so while i previously could entertain some wanky salt sessions where i went a bit anti Rollins, going forward it'll only make me think of hateful assholes like you. the kind that makes fandom a less fun place to be. the kind that never respects other people's wishes because you have an opinion and it's more important than anything else that you get to say it, regardless of the consequences. to take another fandom as an example: the kind of people that has made me hate Destiel to the point where i get annoyed 98% of the time i see anything Destiel, because some of the hellers are so fucking disgusting (and loud) in their hate towards anything they deem icky (ie: anything that isn't their ship. ie: Wincest and Sam, two of my favorite things).

and i'm not doing that. this blog probably wouldn't have been a great place for Rollisi shippers and Rollins fans, not the worst but not great, but after you, anon? they'll be fine here. because i refuse to indulge in your disgusting hate campaign.

[phantomrose96]

Soooo, just dropping by to say, between your fics and rebageling of cool art, I finally caved and decided to watch Danny Phantom. Figured it'd be a decent background show while I did house stuff and I'd unlock a new section of ao3, no biggie yeah?

Yeah no, I am obsessed. Why?? Is it?? SO GOOD? I am genuinely invested in this cartoon and all of the characters - Danny is a good boi, Tucker is a riot, Sam is Sam no more needed, and Jazz is the best. Not best girl or best sister, just best. And Plasmius/Vlad is such a fun villain?!?! And Val!!! Such angst, so fun! Ooooh, and the stuff with Evil Danny and Clockwork, just watched that yesterday and that really made the brain go brrr!!!

And I love how there's a recurring cast, and they all have like, core themes, but its not the same deal over and over? Like, they actually grow and evolve just like the protag gang? It's so nice, actually seeing potential realized like that.

I dunno exactly what I wanted to say here, my mind is kinda just a ghostly hamster wheel at the moment, and I figured you of all people would appreciate that XD Pardon the flailing in your mailbox, but I am just very enthusiastically late to this party XD Wish me luck at the end of series crash - I'm on ep 35 and both dreading and barelling towards the end X'D

IT'S A GOOD SHOW.

It's fun it's punchy it has consistent themes it doesn't return to the status quo instead it lets the cast and the setting evolve it introduces cool character dynamics it uses the quandary of secret identities well whether it's Danny or Vlad or Val it's full of bad puns it's heartfelt it has a character who specifically and only haunts boxes

Like it was genuinely a good show, especially for its time and target audience, and I stand beside this I'm glad you GET IT.

However, and I'm sorry you have to learn this this way - there is no season 3. If you thought you saw there was a season 3, no there wasn't and no you didn't. There is a single, lost episode called "D-Stabilized" which was, genuinely, meant to be in season 2. Yes you should watch that episode. No there was not anything else from anything resembling a season 3.

Danny Phantom very tragically ended short after 2 seasons right after Reality Trip (+ the lost episode D-Stabilized). Too bad we'll never ever know what other content might exist. You might see rumors about some kind of hypothetical series finale called "Phantom Planet." Just rest assured those are only rumors and they Are Not Real and they Can Not Hurt You.

[lalalactose]

Kingohger ep.33

"Nice to meet you, I'm the Tyrant King!" - Gira, new best line ever huahahahha

Their civilian outfits fit them so well! Although I wish Gira could have worn something that doesn't resemble his civilian Shugoddam wear X'D Also what's with the violin motif//

And speaking of- are they basically dressing Rita as a modern-day Judge?

Hymeno on the piano got so much screen time! But also how did she learn Earth's Melody?

Their new roll call choreo is so cool! Also, gotta love extra special action moves for a special episode wheeee so cool

So where is Daigo...?

And why is Prince coming to the other Chikyuu next episodee

I wonder what kind of faces Rita made to make those kids laugh :') That was cute!!

The return of Suzume!! So are you saying that for the past 2 years, she's been living in the Shugoddam castle?!

Is that Racles in blue, next episode?? Hmmmmm

The colorful explosions in the quarry is very much welcomed and nostalgic :'))

I wish the Kingohgers could've explored Japan more and do fun mundane stuff- but alas, the story didn't allow for that kind of episode. At least Rita got introduced to cute shoujo mangas XD

[countlessrealities]

Ship Bias (for Morty)?

Ship bias meme || Accepting !

Canon-wise, I don't ship Morty with anyone, tbh. I do keep the crushes he has in my portrayal, but I don't care for any of them. No it even Jessica or his nameless girlfriend from the Vat of Acid episode.

All the ships I have for Morty have been developed through RP interactions and they all have taken some time to develop, which is something I love, because I'm a sucker for slow burns. And well, some are still on their way to develop, so they aren't actual ships yet.

Morty & Morty with @advnterccs: they are currently my OTP for Morty. I loved the way Rin and I built their relationship from best friends to mutual pining to crushes who have kissed each other but aren't together, to the moment they actually got together x'D Speaking of that, they had their first anniversary last New Year's Eve and damn, that's one of the longest ships I've ever had xD

Morty & Meg with @shctupmeg: they are sort of dating, but not official yet. I find it funny, because Meg had a crush on Morty all along, while he considered her just a dear friend. Tho, the moment she started to look elsewhere, he realised that maybe he did like her back that way x'D They had their ups and downs, but I think their relationship is maturing just right!

Morty & Fish with @imprvdente: Chloé and I had sort of started it with the idea that Morty and Fish would be BFF, but both our dumbasses ended up catching feelings xD This is another funny situation, because it's mutual pinning while they are both convinced that the other doesn't like them back. Will they ever get their shit together? Good question!

Morty & Marsha with @mnstcrsiiistcrs: Marsha sort of categorises as one of Morty's crushes. Cute, smart girl who gives him a smidgen of attention? Ofc he's gonna crush on her. There hasn't been any real ship talk, so for now I'm going to keep it as one-sided crush. Which is pretty much very IC for Morty xD

I don't have a 5th ship, because these four are the relationships I have for my Morty and who have taken a romantic turn, more or less. I guess the last mention could be Morty & Meg & Morty, since I have a polyship with Rin and Allie (which I adore with all my heart).

Tbh, I'd love for Morty to get another boyfriend. With Rin's Morty I wasn't able to delve into it, because we had the whole 'me from another timeline' thing to deal with and because out Mortys kind of saw our Ricks getting together and that gave them the epiphany they needed, but I want my Morty to experience bi panic the moment he realises that oh shit, he likes boys too xD

[p-receh]

Hi! No neg to you at all but i really need to get this out so feel free to ignore :D

I feel like fandoms as a whole has started to become WAY too comfortable in telling their creators what to do. The drama, complaints, and overall neg that i've seen people spewing to monsta is disheartening.

Critics are fine here and there, especially when mentioned in a respectable way. But people seem to forget that nothing is perfect, they see a flaw and just... zero in on it

Monsta can't satisfy everyone. Heck NO creator can satisfy everyone, but complaining about the thing something is lacking and saying negative things about the creators is helping absolutely NO ONE.

If anything it makes the creators ignore you, at worse double down or get disheartened and stop creating as a whole. Other than that it creates a negative sphere that makes some people (who were fine and enjoying this thing they like) to also feel unsatisfied or be negative as well.

ITS RUINING THE FUN FOR EVERYONE

I feel like these people don't realize how HARD it is to create let alone make a show.. its actually something i've realized in media consumption over the years; people have consumed so much media that they believe they "know whats best" or "understand better how to create this and that"

Creating is not easy. It takes time. It takes skill. WRITING isn't easy. ART isn't easy. ANIMATING isn't easy.

You want a specific episode that cater to what you like and how you want the characters to be? Write it. Genuinely write it.

Thats what fanart is for, fanfiction, fananimation.

Want something? Make it yourself. People have been spoon feed with free content that includes 3 seasons worth of a show, 2 seasons of its sequel show, 2 movies, AND comics.

And again. THESE ARE ALL FREE.

People do not REALIZE how privileged they are.

Do you know how many content now that is under a paywall? Do you know how incredible and generous it is to be given free content of an animated show for years?

To be given a show that is so obviously made with passion and love?

And still having the nerve to complain that its not the way how some people want or like it to..

Write it. To those who fully believe they know how things should be created, then do it yourself. Make a script and give it to them. Make a fanfic. Make an AU. Make art. MAKE WHAT EVER IT IS YOUR COMPLAINING ABOUT OR MADE YOU DISSATISFIED

Sorry about the long rant, this is in no way directed to you, been really peeved with how ungrateful people have been (getting that much free content in anything is a privilege some do not realize). Thinking its so easy to make a free show.

Anyway can't wait to see the continuation of your AU :D

Allahuakbar—THAT'S A LONG TED TALK wwwwwwwww X'D

Lmao I was not ready for a minute with how long your ask was, so of course I couldn't ignore this! wkwkwkw

Ehem.

Truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu 100%!

I am new to this fandom but it genuinely got me a headache. Even with the recent drama "Boboiboy is more likely a fan service franchise now!" or "Why monsta always treat Boboiboy only and abandoning their supporting characters? This is why Ejen Ali is better!" and many other drama that I don't need to know in the past.

Like... Puh-lease. Don't you guys know how much it blessed that they released their show full HD on YouTube? Both TV and movie series? Released their comic on webtoon for free?

Maybe you guys didn't realize how illogical that sound for outside of... I dunno, maybe from sea countries. Like Japan with their infamous strict rules for any franchise when they promote their products.

(and with how ridiculous what had westerns entertainment corporations did to consumers, so pirating on us and Europe almost became a norm?)

Monsta I'd say is genius. They knew they cannot apply the same way with how the Japan did, and thus they find a way to make their show release without losing any money. Even me personally still find that strategy is "somewhat" illegal. But for SEA countries? I can understand why they choose this path. Because that's how The some of franchises from my country did that too to promote their products.

Buuuut does it make the corporate go impecunious?

Now that my friend, it all comes down with the quality and the general public reception themselves.

(I can give you examples buuuut it gonna be longer and might subjective since I don't have any uh... Marketing background knowledge)

Therefor Monsta creatively managed to survive that obstacle. Their shows already big enough across the SEA nations and beyond; their comics and card battle themselves are heavily sold out, and even managed to release on theater in Japan!

Aaaaaaaaand then again, anon. This is internet.

Sometimes criticism could cause endless of drama that never ends. And it's absolutely unhealthy. Uurggh..

Yet in rare occasions, consumer criticism had their own benefits. Like the infamous Gremlin Movie Sonic before Paramount had to change because of the internet. (HUGE internet criticism If you guys don't know)

It really is a gamble to take any discourse if their take was supporting and even disowning some product. Especially on the internet where you could freely critics without hearts content.

I admit I myself have my complaints but tbf, at the of the day I don't mind with what Monsta give to their product. In fact, I respect with how much they take risk to correcting their mistakes from the very first Boboiboy Series up until now.

Nobody's perfect anyway, so I highly appreciate it they way Monsta tried to please anyone.

But that's the beauty of the Fan Art. Whether in form of music, visuals, literary, and any kind of medium to ensure that franchise still has an active community with tons of new ideas to share for their franchises. Big or small.

Fan art for me is a clarification whether the franchise is acceptable to their target market or not. If no one creates it, I consider that franchise is failure and not exist.

"The difference between fanfic and a "real" novel is that fanfic is honest about its inspiration."

-Mary Robinette Kowal

"There's a time and place for everything, and I believe it’s called 'fan fiction'."

-Joss Whedon

Tho...

Why would someone would want to waste their talents for creating fan art that they didn't even like it at first?

I specifically refer to people who made fan art clearly for hate or trigger people who liked it, not for earning money(that's another story to tell)

What a pity to waste time, ya know?

Like, touch some grass dude :/

[anotherworldash]

Look at what i found on reddit

I'm laughing so hard at the pettiness X'DDDDDD I could talk all day about it.

I don't think Journeys writers hate Serena, though, they just prefers Pokeshipping.

(I don't hate her or Amour too actually, I wrote 2 fanfics of Riv4lCrushShipping and don't mind Amour as long as it's shown as respectful one-sided love, I JUST HATE THE CRAZY SHIPPERS)

That's why they fixed Serena's 'Ash obsession' in her last appearance in Journeys。 She no longer blushes over Ash like she did in XY, they changed her 'crush' into simple 'admiration' (I could swear XY serena would jump onto the boat lmao)

then, they kind of reverse the role with Misty by emphasizing Misty's (longtime) crush for Ash that many people had forgotten or missed for the past 10 years (AS THEY SHOULD) . For the final touch, they finalized it by making Ash noticed her crush for him, I love the great DETAIL that he cared about it enough to tease Misty, whereas he never reacted to Serena's crush on him.

Even as much giving Misty a hair accessory related episode. OK, you can call me deranged for this. Even fellow pokeshippers can agree to disagree with me here. But, I always see the hairtie as an analogy for 'support'. Just like holding on handkerchief symbolize bearing affection towards the owner. (I wrote about it in my post here : https://www.tumblr.com/anotherworldash/680442224201383936/pokeshipping-sumo-analysis)

Ash's presence supported Serena's character until she found her own dream and goals. At first, she didn't expect the gift, the gift was just there, intentionally given to her as a part of Ash's thankful personality. It's just like how she first met Ash. She didn't expect him to be there, but he just had to be there, and intentionally helped her because that's just how he is.

and on the flip side, Misty's presence was Ash's support. He borrowed her bike to brought Pikachu to the hospital, she defended the hospital when Team Rocket first attacked, and provided pretty much support and guidance during his first seasons. The best part is? He knew he needed it and asked Misty for it (the hairtie/support), and she said she was going to give the hairtie anyway x'D (THE FEELINGS ARE MUTUAL!).

(screencaps by : https://twitter.com/Games23_/status/1631873137800527872)

Overall, I just think that the writers return characters to their original purpose. Somehow during the making of XY they wanted to follow the formula of classic Shonen, therefore we come to this conclusion :

Misty -> to accompany and guide Ash , making him the admirable character he is now

Serena -> to showcase that the Main Character is admirable to others

There is no romance in PokeAni as it's a kid show and intentionally made to promote new products every year with every new seasons directed by different teams. But with all the fanwars out there, I think it's made clear that the writers place Misty as the main girl, and Serena, as the side girl. Just the classic Emilia vs Rem, or Chitoge vs Onodera.

I'm happy they made the mini series!! although i havent watched all episodes cause i'm still looking for official streamingsite in my country (ID) .

[thatwordybirb]

Ask game! 5, 7, 9, 11, and 14!! :D

Oh! =O Heck, I didn't expect- thank you!! Um!!!

5. something you see in fics a lot and love

That's, ooo, that's tough, since I don't have much spare time and I mostly spend it writing mine instead of reading. Thinking back on my favorite moments, though, I think hurt/comfort is my jam. Heartache, heartbreak, hyperventilation, gimme pain, gimme panic, gimme people barely holding together putting one foot in front of the other even when the person they lean on isn't there, I wanna see what my faves are made of and I want it to hurt!

7. your favorite tropes to read/write/draw

Damn, might've blown my load a bit early there! X'D I'm not super familiar with the functionally infinite catalog of tropes, though, so... hm, had to ask my beautiful beta readers for suggestions - aaand we immediately got on a tangent about Wide Screen Farquaad and started cackling like goons, okay!! Er!!! Now that I think about it, Found Family is in everything I'm writing. My Animal Crossing story features a lot of Tom Nook's relationship with Timmy and Tommy, my MHA story centers around if Tomura was adopted by Principal Nezu instead of All for One, my Final Fantasy Tactics Advance story is all about Marche gathering a family of adventurers with Montblanc - it's an important part of everything I'm writing. Okay the giggles have stopped and one of my betas insists that "furries adopting children" is the Most Important but I don't think that's actually a trope, thanks sis-

9. a ship that isn’t your OTP but that you enjoy

Oh, um, hrm, fuck, I have. So many OTP's. So that complicates things! I love them all so much!! I think the best fit is Sonadow, thanks to @shadows-coffeebeans - I'm not totally in love with it (yet), but I do enjoy it quite a bit!!!

11. if you’re a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

I'm actually really proud of all the things I'm writing lately! =D Got three novel-length fics in the fire, really love how they're turning out!! None of them are er, out yet, though, besides an MHA one-shot I posted last April. I haven't started posting them because I don't want to be discouraged by lack of readers. I will once they're done (except the MHA one, I will start posting that when the final episode of the anime airs), but until then, they only exist as google docs for folks that wanna beta read.

14. the ship that always makes you smile

All of the ones I love do! But by far the one that gets the most content, and thus the constant deluge of smiles, is Sam & Max. Ship is called Freelance Husbands, I adore how dedicated the fandom is, and it always fills my heart with sugar and sunshine, especially even when it's angsty~!

Sorry this one took me so long to finish, you're probably in bed by now, but feel free to reply tomorrow (if you want to at all, no pressure), and thank you so much for the pleasant surprise!!

[metaladam]

one thing I absolutely adore about your portrayal with Adam is how close it is to accurately duplicating to the show! it’s like witnessing another episode of just Adam and I adore it more than anything 🥰

I hope you’ve been having just as fun writing with me and others as I do reading and interacting with you and look forward to more!

p.s. : Ive secretly always wanted to ship with your Adan but get to pussy to ask

…

p.s.s. : It’s me Lute (exorcistlieutenant) btw 🤭 love you!

BREH ur not a pussy at all ur legit the person I probably interact with the most! I love how your write Lute, your graphics are among the best in the rpc in general and you are a delight to know personally! Also...WE ARE SHIPPING! X'D what u saying homie?! *fist bumps and hugs u* @exorcistlieutenant

[seyaryminamoto]

When you posted the first chapter of Gladiator how far ahead were you in terms of planning the path the story would take? Are there any great changes from the original outline?

Uuuuuh... X'D

For me, planning stories isn't a linear journey. I DO write linearly as best as I'm able, because if I don't, I'm going to fuck up the continuity of my stories. I really am not good at just writing the big moments first and stuffing the rest of the content in later. All the power to the people who can do that, but the few times I've tried, I fucked up so badly that I always end up having to rewrite the scene I wrote beforehand anyway! So, yeah, I build up on things and try to have all cards on the table by the time I write the big stuff.

But planning? Oh boy, planning is WAY messier than that.

Let me see if I can illustrate this properly:

The core idea for Gladiator was suggested to me by a reader over at FF.net back in February 2013. One day, a month later, I gave the idea a little more thought than I had when he first offered it and my brain went into overdrive when I concocted these specific concepts that, at the time, were the very core of the story:

Azula and Sokka as partners with thicker sexual tension than anything I'd written in my life until then, in a will-they-won't-they situation that, of course, results in "THEY DID". In this setting, the war didn't end on time, meaning that a lot of things changed, including that Azula's got a blank slate in a lot of regards, so both her and Sokka need to be developed from scratch. Initially, I wasn't sure of where exactly I'd take the relationship aside from knowing that they'd obviously get together, but the specific concept of what I'd do with their relationship only arrived sometime later (as in, when I realized I was too addicted to this story and had too much to do with it to "cut to the chase", unlike what certain people wanted me to do). Also, of course, major potential to make them an epic battle couple, something I'd never gotten the chance to write them as until then, so big plus there!

Their biggest rival throughout the story would be Toph, banking on a very different portrayal than the fandom usually likes in Sokka and Toph's dynamics: she would be the big enemy inside the league that he struggles the most with defeating because, let's be real, it feels like no one could have ever imagined that Sokka could ever beat Toph in a fair, one-on-one battle until I outright wrote it in the final arc of Part 2 X'D Hence, I figured that giving him that HUGE initial goal to pursue (defeating Toph) would give us a solid story thread to follow for a long time.

Iroh as Toph's sponsor because of The Chase and their canon bond, with Toph basically being Iroh's biggest fan in the Gaang due to their bonding scene in that episode. I would then be expanding on a bond that, back in the day, was a fandom favorite and that, these days, seems to have gone completely under the radar because it feels like nobody even TALKS about it anymore. It's kinda taken for granted, I'd say?

Combustion Man as THE TOP DOG of the Ranking. The final hurdle both Sokka and Toph need to outdo to become the best gladiators in the league. Why are they trying to do that? In Toph's case, she loves fighting, this story basically gave her a chance to go wild in that sense and measure herself against all kinds of enemies. In Sokka's case? As proposed by that reader's initial pitch, he'd be forcefully taken from the Fire Nation and would want to go home: his deal with Azula solidified then as the reason why he wants to be #1. Once he wins and beats Combustion Man, Azula will consider their contract fulfilled and she will let him go back to the Water Tribe.

Zhao as Combustion Man's sponsor because I needed someone relevant to do it, it didn't feel right to just make an OC for a role so important, back in the day, and in this setting, Zhao wouldn't have died/vanished in the NWT so he was available for my needs -- all of which then led me into building a backstory where Azula held some manner of resentment towards Zhao that pushed her further in her need to find a gladiator and become the best sponsor in the league.

These five story elements were the first things that came to mind. As I liked the idea of Azula and Sokka having an immensely conflictive relationship at first, where they couldn't trust each other 100% but they LIKED each other way more than they wanted to, I switched the "Sokka gets captured by randos" from the original pitch to "AZULA captures Sokka", and that resulted in a LOT of extra chaos than what was part of the story's original concept :'D I'd dare say the main positive element about this was that the story felt more dynamic in the second chapter (when they meet for the first time) than it would have if Sokka had been caught by any other Fire Nation military officer. It even puts forward the deepest layer of rivalry in the story too: the one person in the Fire Nation settlement who could have outdone Sokka is Azula. If he had faced anyone else. he might have had chances of success... but not when he faced her.

This, then, means that Azula HERSELF is a big goal and hurdle Sokka has to overcome. Partly, their relationship would've granted Sokka the means through which he could achieve that goal, but the point is that, from very early on, I realized that I wanted the story to chronicle the gradual journey of how Sokka went from... uh, a hundred to infinity X'D because no, he wasn't a zero, he just wasn't THAT good just yet. I wanted this journey to become a full exploration of Sokka's potential as a warrior until he was strong enough to go toe to toe with Azula and defeat her one day...!

... And once I realized that, one of the first core scenes of Gladiator came into shape. As in, the day Sokka finally defeated Azula.

Also known as chapter 96 :')

On the day Sokka beats her, EVERYTHING changes. This change is primarily fueled by the fact that he DOESN'T want to defeat her, at that point. He is so done with their frequent conflicts when the one thing he REALLY wants is... her. And Azula wants HIM. So when he impulsively kisses her instead of dealing a killer blow...! Yeah, uh... pfft. God, I had done so little plotting of their character arcs that I ACTUALLY thought, back then, that there'd be tension in terms of the readers thinking "omg, is he going to kill her?!" ... yeah, that was dead in the water so fast x'D I sincerely doubt ANYONE ever imagined that he'd do that when that scene came around, but you asked about how the plotting went in the initial stages of the story, pretty sure this specific hilarious tidbit illustrates that fairly well x'D anyway, Azula surrenders and the whole underlying theme of a war between them finally gets resolved in the best way it could! :'D

But... how would THAT particular fight sequence come about?

And that's where the lead-up to the scene started to take shape! Sokka has been trying to beat Toph, but he can't! She beats him when it FINALLY looks like he might win. When that happens, Sokka seems to be ready to give up on everything, and Azula lashes out at him because she won't let him quit on her just like that. BINGO!

... And that, dear asker, was the first genuine scene and arc plotting that I did for Gladiator.

After this? I thought Sokka would go on to fight Combustion Man after a final fight with Toph in which he finally beats her. This fight with Toph, back then, was bound to take place within maybe a few months of his last defeat at her hands, I thought, but with the power of getting laid, Sokka was totally going to kick ass this time and then go on to defeat the BIG DEAL, COMBUSTION MAN HIMSELF.

And then he'd kill him. Paying a bit of homage to canon :')

It slowly came together, however, that a fight against Combustion Man quite so soon after defeating Toph was probably not going to be... well, completely reasonable unless the situation REALLY called for it for... some reason. While I'm not entirely sure that I came up with this right away, it probably wasn't over a week after I started plotting the story that I figured that Iroh would vindictively tell Ozai about Azula and Sokka's relationship after witnessing what he shouldn't have witnessed when they celebrated their triumph over Toph a little more enthusiastically than would have been appropriate :'D Then, since Combustion Man would be serving, in a sense, as Ozai's executioner of bad gladiators for sponsors who need a lesson, he'd be the one tasked with killing Sokka only for Sokka to kill him right back (?)

At this point? There was no Xin Long. The idea of Sokka killing Combustion Man through a volatile bomb predates Xin Long! I boldly snuck in a reference to how Sokka would defeat Combustion Man as early as chapter 2 because I'm crazy and wanted to make it a useful callback in future chapters, unaware that "future chapters" meant ALMOST 250 CHAPTERS LATER! X'D Anyway, point is, I wanted Sokka to defeat Combustion Man through different means than in canon, seeing how in canon he had advantages he wouldn't have had in this story (this is a controlled environment, a one-on-one fight, there's no cover where Sokka can objectively hide, he wouldn't have the opportunity to just fuck up Combustion Man the exact same way, he's not going to fall to his death, for there's no abyss nearby...). So, I came up with the volatile bomb for that purpose, and that tells you that I spent around 7 years with the image of Combustion Man burning to his death living rent free in my head before finally writing it :'D

OKAY! So! What else did I come up with...?

I think Sokka and Azula's first kiss was relatively early plotting too. The idea of Sokka carelessly flirting with Suki in the ring came to mind, and Azula being Azula, she wasn't going to appreciate that at all, so she would have kissed him recklessly in a very inappropriate and territorial bid to stake a claim over him that she really shouldn't have... but Sokka would've thought it was hot and gone with it anyway (?)

Funny reveal time here: back in the day, I was determined to ensure that they wouldn't kiss again after that first kiss, not until they were ready to bang in chapter 96. Can you believe I thought I'd have the self-restraint to pull that off? x'D I laugh at my innocence in those regards to this day.

The second kiss I planned, probably MONTHS later, was actually the one on the way to the Slate. I wanted them to go out of control at one point and for them to be like "omg that was very inappropriate of us! How could we! But omg does that mean you like me tooooo?"

And isn't it HILARIOUS that my plotting was soooo naïve that I STILL didn't realize how far the early chapters would take them in their relationship? x'D

This, in a nutshell, is the exact reason why I CAN'T write out of order: if I'd written the Slate's trip situation as early as when I first thought about it? You can bet it would've made zero sense with all the character progression we saw through the rest of the story. And then I would have had to rewrite it anyway :')

Xin Long, I won't lie, was a bit of a whim on my part, no doubt motivated by my frustrations with canon and how Azula seemed to only get screwed over. So I said "she gets whatever the hell she wants in Gladiator because I hate the world" and once the idea of helping her find a dragon came to mind, I just rolled with it (?) It took me a while to actually integrate Xin Long with the Rough Rhinos arc, I wasn't sure about when I'd introduce him once the idea came to mind, but there was no better chance than to do so while Sokka and Azula were lost in the forest.

About other stuff, I liked the idea of Piandao training Sokka more extensively than in canon, but I didn't want him to be Sokka's host FOREVER because that meant less chances for Sokkla interactions. So... I had to get rid of him.

Believe it or not, I didn't sort out the in-world reasons to explain why I'd gotten rid of him until well around 3-4 years into plotting the story :')

Piandao's connection to Ursa felt natural after I really started thinking about it, but that took AGES to properly plot. Initially? I just needed him to go away. And in a sense, the excuse was that Iroh was on his way home, meaning, there was a Grand Lotus near the Fire Lord's court, way closer than Piandao ever was, so he didn't NEED to be there anymore.

... And that kind of led into Zuko.

While I was absolutely overtaken by the wild plotting involved in soooo many other aspects of the story, my good friend @jordanalane, no longer active on tumblr or the fandom, put up with my rambling about ALL THESE IDEAS and went "Yay! This story sounds fun! What's going on with Zuko here?"

Me, internally: "... Well shit I forgot about Zuko."

I won't say that she singlehandedly set up Zuko's journey in Gladiator, but saying that she gave me about 65% of the ideas for what I'd do with him would probably be fairly accurate, unless the percentage is larger than I thought. I actually toyed with the idea of setting up Zuko and Aang on a way bigger, political journey that we'd only occasionally glimpse while we focused on Sokka and Azula's partnership within the Fire Nation culture and all the gladiatorial chaos. Very early on, the plan seriously wasn't for Sokka to become... well, what he is now xD So I was genuinely going to leave all the heavy lifting of the war to Aang and Zuko because, ultimately, the Fire Nation has to be defeated and they're the ones who usually get up to that, right?

I think I've mentioned that, post Combustion Man's death, I had no idea wtf I was going to do. Like... I knew that was far away. I knew I'd have the time (or at least, I faithfully believed I would) to figure out what I'd do before we got to that point. I absolutely knew the story could not possibly end there.

So at this stage of plotting, I toyed with Blue Spirit Zuko joining the Gladiator League briefly as a destabilizer within the system (and then I started writing Zuko in the story and realized that... no. There was just no way this guy wanted anything to do with the Gladiator League as a fighter or even as a sponsor. Nope). Then, I thought he should go south (though I had no idea how I'd get him there!), where he'd find Aang eventually! There was a veeeery small window of time in which I considered keeping Aang at 12-years-old, which would've made Kataang waaaaay too unsettling since Katara would've been over 20, and I thought maybe Zuko and Katara could be a thing? But the idea never really solidified into anything I wanted to write between those two, it felt like an older Katara would've focused even more on protecting Aang (becoming the actual mother figure the fandom and even canon are obsessed with adultifying her into at 14) because she'd be too aware of how young and fragile he was...!

... But then? I thought it would've actually made sense for Aang to be more than just the little boy who saves the day and everyone protects:

Why not make him an opportunity for Katara to learn her Tribe's traditional and lost waterbending styles?

If I aged up Aang, and made it so he had been frozen in the South Pole, not out of sheer chance but out of him actually BEING IN THE AREA when the storm struck him? That could do the trick! If his journey as a waterbending master was already underway by the time he was frozen, then he'd have two elements down... and he could be Katara's teacher instead! While there were downsides to this decision, of course, it actually made a ton of sense to me mainly because I don't love the way it feels like Katara, in canon, never truly reclaimed the traditional southern style of waterbending. This, then, meant that Aang could provide her with a connection to her own people and their past, something he can't offer her in canon.

So! With that in mind? I aged up Aang and made him 19, and Kataang could be preserved and be developed this way. Part of it is also motivated by my genuine confusion, when I first watched the show, over the old Air Nomad leaders deciding that Aang, already declared an airbending master, "needed to master more advanced airbending techniques" right after revealing that he was the Avatar. I mean... if he's already a master, doesn't it make more sense to send him to the next element he's supposed to learn? Especially considering it's water? And considering that the storm clouds in the horizon were coming from the Fire Nation, so the more water to fight them, the better? :'D

So yep, that was another reason why I made the choices I made.

Lo and behold, slowly and surely, the core bones of Gladiator were starting to take shape: Azula and Sokka start as contentious allies, joining forces for a common goal and very different motivations, all of which would lead them into falling in love over time. Their biggest threats in the league are Toph and Combustion Man, but perhaps bigger still would be Iroh, who would rat them out to Ozai (I'm 100% serious when I say this specific element of the story has been part of Gladiator's DNA since the very start, the whole journey I threw Iroh into was basically "how do I get him to the point where he would be THAT pissed off as to do something like this with no regard as to the consequences of his own actions?"). Zuko, Katara and Aang would more or less stick to being involved in fighting the war, they wouldn't be all that connected to the Gladiator League or anything to do with that.

Worth noting that my friend started to come up with ideas for Zuko and Suki to get together and make sense as a couple in the story, and while at first it was just a casual thing that I figured would work alright, her ideas became... so much more poignant than I ever imagined they would be.

About one year, maybe a year-and-a-half, after I started plotting Gladiator, I actually figured out what my endgame would be.

At that point, I actually knew where we were going and I started to focus my attention on plotting how to get there. New concepts started to pop up, things that I absolutely hadn't thought about from the get-go: I DID have my alternate idea on what was going on with Ursa since ages ago (the swamp concept, as you'll likely have read already...), and after The Search thoroughly disappointed me, I chose to stick with that path without looking back. But while this was in the background, something I knew had happened but that I doubted I'd be able to work into the story productively, I realized it would actually be something I could explore IN the story once Part 3 stopped being a big nebulous blob of mystery for me. I decided that Sokka and Azula would be torn away from each other, that HE would be the one leading the war faction out of the South Pole and into the chaos of war, that Piandao's tile for Sokka, mainly done as homage to canon back when I wrote that, could actually represent something FAR GREATER if Sokka joined forces with the White Lotus to fight the Fire Nation and return to Azula...!

... And one of my most evil advisors of those years also very casually inceptioned into my head the very wicked idea of pregnant Azula in the middle of this mess :'D

I could go on and on, honestly! I have one funny thing to bring up, and it's that the scene from the Northern Air Temple arc, where Sokka tells Azula his true fears and feelings about his family, how he doesn't think he's worthy of going home and is genuinely apprehensive of returning because he thinks his dad will be disappointed in him? That... was repurposed from a very early idea I had for Sokka and Azula, once they were properly together, traveling to Whaletail Island, and spending a casual day/night in bed talking about a lot of things, which then led into Sokka talking about his family and what he actually felt about them, which Azula wasn't supposed to know about until then :'D That was, ironically, the origin point for the Whaletail Island arc. The scene that originated it just... never happened x'D

As you may be able to tell... the progress of their relationship, the evolution and development of the characters, caused a LOT of things to move forward way faster than I thought they would. Hence, Sokka wound up telling Azula about all those things WAAAY sooner than I originally envisioned. By then, Whaletail's scene was kind of broken down and spread into other situations and arcs instead! Again: this is why I can't write out of chronological order xD

One funny thing to look back on was my confident belief that Sokka and Azula would spend the bulk of Part 1 doing a mutual pining thing where neither one realized the other felt the exact same way about them... when I was in the middle of their best conversations in the Rough Rhinos' arc, the THIRD ARC of the entire story, I was like "yo... they're 100% aware of the fact that they're down bad for each other already. There's literally no mystery about how they feel, THEY OBVIOUSLY ALREADY KNOW." And that hilariously changed A LOT of how things developed later, because I sure as heck didn't plan for them to kiss in the Rough Rhinos arc at all (it kinda happened on a whimsical plotting session, a few days before writing it :'D). I did NOT plan for them to kiss at Ty Lee's backyard, either (oh, this one was basically them getting out of my control and doing whatever they wanted, same evil advisor I mentioned earlier told me to go with it while I cried to her about how I apparently just COULDN'T STOP THEM FROM MAKING OUT???)...

Ember Island's arc, so poignant and crucial and such a KEY element in their relationship, was probably plotted well after... six months since the original idea of Gladiator came to my head. I did not think about this one until A WHILE into writing the story already. I was probably almost done posting the Rough Rhinos by the time the full concept of that arc materialized in my head! The beloved Pairs Tournament arc? That was 100% a reader's suggestion, from an ask I got one day! x'D I told them that sounded like a fun concept, and then, once I pondered it some more and fleshed it out, it ended up becoming a highlight for me, it's gone on to become a fan favorite arc of the entire story, as well as The Arc where Toph finally became friends with Sokka and Azula properly!

So. Yep. Basically... I do not plot anything linearly. I can't. If I did, I wouldn't have a clue of where I'm going and I'd lose my steam so fast that I would just crumble under the weight of not seeing the point of what I'm doing. I think I can write without a huge endgame, to a fault, with less demanding stories... but Gladiator was ALWAYS so much bigger than anything my brain could wrap around back when I first started to plot this story, and it's no joke to say that it's really taken me ten years to not only write it, but actually plot the story as thoroughly as I can (hell, only a few months ago I got struck by lightning with A PLOT TWIST that I just wrote yesterday! A crazy development I absolutely HAD NOT thought about, and that I fell in love with completely when it came to mind!). The amount of threads and possibilities and ideas that I've been juggling for AGES is probably a little crazy, honestly.

But yeah, in short, it's wild to think that even though I absolutely planned several things YEARS before they came into fruition, ultimately, the final arc of Part 1 came together before the first one, in many senses. It came together before every arc, basically, and all the material in between was just a matter of building a huge, solid bridge to the point where Sokka and Azula would finally act on their feelings. The process through which I got there absolutely changed me in a thousand ways, my ideas and my plans often wound up switched up whenever a random, crazy idea came up, and I thought to myself "... and why not?" after a few moments of indulging it and being on the brink of discarding it.

As another fun tidbit of information? That's kind of what happened with something as vital to the story as Rei has been, throughout Part 3: she is a character I came up with, not really on the fly, but at relative random once I was planning on having Azula seek Zhao for help over Toph's predicament back in Part 2. I loved the idea of a teenage, dorky maid who had NOT expected to meet the Princess, but initially? She's nothing to make a fuss over because we've been seeing heaps of people who are starstruck by Azula by then. She only stands out for having the dorkiest reverence ever x'D and part of why she stands out too, instead of getting written off, initially, as Zhao's nameless, aimless home staff, is because I had thought about the potential of making her Zhao's illegitimate daughter at this point in time! But I DIDN'T go all in with it on her first appearance... because I wasn't sure. Because I didn't think I could juggle ANOTHER plot point and new character on top of everything I had to set up (at this point I was particularly preoccupied by figuring out how to establish Shaofeng and Renkai as important characters for my future purposes with both of them :'D). So I said "nah, you know what? She's just the cute and quirky maid. We like her. Zhao is decent to her. He doesn't need to be her father."

... About two weeks before going all in on the Hahn's Gambit arc, I was pondering Part 3. The idea of Rei being Zhao's illegitimate daughter returned to mind. My impulse was dismissing my own thoughts, frankly, along the lines of "I mean, wtf would she even do once Zhao becomes Crown Prince? She'd be abandoned in the estate anyway, like, what, she would inherit it or something?" and then... then it struck me. I realized that she could very well just come with him. As his maid. And then, she could become Azula's maid...

... What followed was about three days of plotting that suddenly brought LIFE to Azula's Part 3 early storyline and I suddenly could not BELIEVE I had ever let myself think I could let go of this character and make nothing of note with her x'D

The situation with Rei is, indeed, something that happened often throughout Gladiator. Some ideas I've clung to, some ideas I've dismissed, some ideas have terraformed the groundwork I'd already set up... and instead of panicking about it? I've done what I could to work with it. Hence, that the will-they-won't-they did NOT include the agony of "but would he/she return my feelings?!" wound up being a result of the build up, something I didn't plan all along but that worked perfectly for my purposes. The idea of making Sokka and Azula's relationship not be just some powerful high, the be-all-end-all of the story once it was crystallized and once they were together? That wasn't immediate, either... but it certainly came along as a result of my greed, I'd dare say x'D

When I realized how long this story was going to be, I told myself this fic was basically the landscape upon which I could very well turn all my Sokkla dreams come true. And it wasn't ONLY the Sokkla dreams related to their fluff, or smut, or angst... no, it was even the fact that, for ONCE, I could build a story where Sokka and Azula were NOT the B-story to Zuko and Aang's A-story, unlike how it might have felt in most any other story, hell, even in my long defunct plans for how to conclude the story (and thank God that I dismissed that mess, honestly). Suddenly, I realized I could bring the ENTIRE Avatarverse together, reconfigure every character, repurpose as many of them as I cared to... and create a scenario where the story, every single major beat of it, was connected to THEM. Where the battle against Ozai was no longer some distant conflict with unexplored emotional stakes, it's a PERSONAL one, not only for Azula but for Sokka as well. And while I'm not going to pretend that I'm the only person who has ever rewritten ATLA to this extent without centering the story on Aang or Zuko, I can certainly say that I've never seen anything of this scale elsewhere (... which can be kinda literal too, considering this is, indeed, the longest fic in the fandom...).

But I REALLY didn't start out with that idea in mind. Back when the concept came to me... I really didn't know where I would be going, honestly. I knew this would be a HUGE commitment, but I didn't know how big, exactly. Now that I do know, that I have the full scope of the story in my grasp... I can tell you that yeah, I had no idea what I was getting into and I'm glad I jumped in anyway x'D

If anyone gets all the way through this long post and wants advice on how to cope with ridiculously long stories that are that difficult to plot? I think that my advice would definitely be to give it time, let it simmer, find the moments, the scenes you REALLY look forward to writing. Don't settle for powering towards the endgame without advancing the story beforehand: push things at other points of the story and if, when you reach your big story climax, you find that the leadup is different from what you were expecting you'd have in your hands, once you got there? ... Roll with the punches. Reconfigure the scene in your head. Improvise, to a fault, and build up FURTHER on what you already had... because the likelihood is that the outcome is going to be a thousand times better than your OG plans were. Don't let yourself get lost in enforcing a plot stubbornly: nothing makes a story come to life as vividly as surfing along with the new highs and changes that hit you at the spur of the moment, figuring out how to make your story the best it can be. I won't pretend Gladiator is anywhere close to perfect... but after just looking back on everything that has led us to where we are? I can definitely say I'm very proud of this story's journey, very proud of having jumped into this madness even when my vision of it, at the time when I started plotting, could have never informed me of every crazy thing I'd end up achieving with this story. While some important elements of the story 100% stayed true to my OG concept... I'm really glad that I let myself change certain aspects because it enriched everything I was doing well beyond the scope of what I could grasp back then.

Anyway. Sorry for the long rambling. I got a little hyped haha. Thanks for the ask!

[mitamicah]

For the ask thing: 8, 13 (I know you do but I wanna know), 104.

Right, let me see

8. What is the best compliment you have ever received?

Oh

Eh

I'm already failing at this x'D

Gah, I am so bad at remembering things :'D - I think it might be the one compliment that made me want to actually pursue a singing "carreer" (or more like ... actually sing in public x'D):

For context I come from a family where neither my mom, dad or grandparents are big singers and so I also thought I was bad at singing growing up especially after my sister filmed me singing along to music with headphones on and it sounded horrendous because I couldn't hear myself :'3 Then at high school at around 16 years old I'd lent a cd to a friend where we bonded over liking this one song but for some reason in the moment my friend couldn't recall the name of the song so I sang a bit of it to figure out if we were thinking of the same song. Then from behind a third party friend popped in and said:

"Shut up, you said you couldn't sing that was a lie!!"

And here we are today - me going to musical summer camp in three days using one week on singing rock and pop cover songs and the week after that recording my own music ... oh and I plan on going to karaoke tomorrow x'D

13. Do you have any tattoos? If yes what do they mean?

You have chosen all the ones I am good at babbling about x'D

I do have a tattoo, just one tho on my forearm/shoulder. It is Flapjack (a cardinal bird from the cartoon series the Owl House) holding a handbrush in his beak :3 It symbolises a few things - the upper most layer is that the cardinal is somewhere seen as a newly deceased soul visiting their loved ones so having Flapjack on my arm symbolises my grandmother that passed away last year and that her soul is still with me (the brush is a silly little extra story I can talk about another time if anybody wants to hear it x'D). Yet on a deeper level the bird being Flapjack specifically is due to the fact that just after having cried my eyes out to the first episode of season 3 of the owl house titled For the Future (everybody in the fandom knows what I am referring to with this episode and the character of Flapjack) I got the call that my grandmother was at the hospital. The day after having just rewatched the episode I got the call that she was dead. So because of this Flapjack and my grandmother sort of mixed together in my mind giving my grandmother a spirit animal to take with her up to Heaven.

Now I also find it hilarious given that in april when the finale hit everybody (in the show and out of it) wanted Flapjack tattoos so for once I felt ahead of the curve x'D

Btw this is the tattoo :3

104. If money were no object, where would you like to go on vacation?

My Lord of the Rings heart is longing to visit New Zealand :'D that or Finland because of a certain brainrot x'D

Thank you for the lovely questions 🥺💚

[aenslem]

okay, i want to touch more on things you said in your last reply, but i just watched the episode Justice and asjlkdjlasdja WHAT THE FUCK guys! x'D i love this show and that ship, they're horrible and so sweet and awful and lovely ♥

i have a couple of things i need to do now, so i can't watch the next for half an hour to an hour or so, and i am so very impatient to keep watching xD

i do enjoy Wray and TJ too (Ming-Na Wen 😍)! and i'm enjoying Greer a lot, a bit surprised by that as i hated him at first xD and idk, the kids are okay i guess, i like them well enough xD

okay, gotta go do the things, but i'm looking forward to seeing more of Tired Dad Young, and, uh, Rush??? x'D

i am also very impatient to finish this watch so i can look at your sgu gifs, it's nice to have that to look forward to =D

/that Stargate anon who likes Rodney x'D

oh yeAH justice! that moment of them on the planet lives rent free in my mind they are the worst and the best thing in this show honestly

get ready Rodney anon, there gonna be so much happening in the next episodes, I don't want to spoiler anything so I am not saying, I guess I am doing that with gifs but they hardly show any plot, just my two disaster men having stare contest here and there lmao

but I loved those episodes so much on my rewatch

I disliked Greer in the beginning too, I guess it's default mode for these characters :D well, now they are okay for me too, cos I got to know them from the later season + fanfiction, cos they are much more interesting when fans are writing about them, so reading fanfiction made me love those characters more, thanks to amazing writers out there <3

they are both gonna be so so tired lmao they need like few years of vacation

[cmcameron]

I‘m not sure if you‘ve answered this already but what is your favourite WFA episode so far?

Mine‘s definitely "Dirty Little Secret" (and "Home Alone" is a close second)

Dirty Little Secret is definitely a top pick for me! X'D I loved how it turned out!

Other favorites are:

Episode 21, I got to put my dog in the episode!

Episode 44, the colors/rendering look SO GOOD. Also love our 3 kidnappers. X'D

Episode 45/46 with Jason's panic attack and how things were handled. I got to color Joker's socks.

Episode 47 with Alfred and Mr./Mrs. Kent

Episode 54 with Zatanna

Episode 62, the Suzi went ham on the city BGs!

There's a couple episodes in the pipeline that I feel like is some of my best work I've done on the project so far, and I can't wait for you to see them!

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

I JUST FINISHED EPISODE EIGHT AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I

AM

NOT

OKAY

Y'all I teared up a lot but no tears have been shed yet lol. That's really because it hasn't sunk in yet xD.

Also, that's a lie, I finished the episode hours ago lol. I have since looked at hsmtmts posts and tiktoks, read a fanfic, and rewatched several scenes (mainly in the finale) xd. I was too in shock but I need to start this lol

First of all, I just- that was the perfect finale. Plenty of the show (looking at you season 2 /lh), satisfying ends for the couples (barely on Jetney but you know we take what we can get lol), amazing music, and everyone's staying together :'). I can't express how much this show means to me <3. I'll have a separate post where I'm SUPER sentimental, but right now I can have some too :'). Anyway, I loved the episode so so SO much <3333.

Nini - we missed you :'). You were the beginning, and you had an end that makes me tear up every time. I'm sure she's off doing the best of things - and hey, she asked Ricky to give them all their cards :')). I'm so proud of her, and so happy for her <33. You're the best, Nini :')) ❤️❤️😭🥰. I love her so much <3.

Emmy! She slayed as Taylor :'DD. And I'm just so happy she gets to continue to learn from Miss Jenn <333. And start to be an older sister as well, not just a younger one :'). She's going to be a leader in the drama department <3. And like Gina said, she's going to take over the world :'DD. I love her 😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰.

Did Jet ever actually tell Kourtney xD. I don't know, but they seem to kinda have a Thing lol, so whatever <33 🥰. I'm proud of him either way :'D. And I'm so glad he's finally found a place where he's happy, where he has a family 😭😭😭❤️❤️🥰. He deserves it so much :'))). Also, he slayed as Chad :'DD! Anyway, yeah, I'm just really glad he's at East High now :')). And yeah, he could give Gina a run for money for intimidation x'D. I love him <3333.

BIG RED MIGHT HAVE A THING WITH ANTOINE???!?!!!?? HELLO?!?!!!? JUMPSCARE SHIP!!! BUT NOT IN A BAD WAY JUST T O T A L L Y WILD XDDD. Anyway, why was this man in curtain call lol??? I do not care, as he should be XDD. Also I'm glad he got to be the one to tell Seblos they deserved the trip - show there's not issues there :). Anyway! Still not over jow wild that Antoine reveal was xD. Mans isn't even French!! Anyway lol. Gina described Big Red perfectly - he loves people unconditionally :'). We've always seen that with Ricky, and it's just amazing <33. Like that scene with Ricky this episode (it demonstrates that but yes it as also amazing lol) 😭😭❤️🥰. That scene was so sweet :'DDD. LIKE THEY SAID I LOVE YOU TO EACH OTHER!!! I love them so much :')). Anyway, yeah, he was great <33. I love him 🥰🥰🥰❤️😭❤️❤️.

EJ GOT TO BE ON STAGE :'DDDD!!! WHOOOO 😭😭😭🥳🥳🥰❤️❤️❤️!!! I'm not okay :'D. He totally deserved that, and he did great :'D. Ayy he can have this next bit now!! He slayed playing Coach Bolton 🥰! :'DD Anyway, I'm so happy for him :'). Also Carlos calling him EJ with the pretty eyes was so correct actually xD. Unrelated lol but eh. ALSO THE FACT THAT EJ CARVED ASH AND MADDOX INTO THAT TREE TRUNK??!?!?? OH MY GOSH 😭😭❤️ XD. That is so iconic <3. And I loved his conversation with Miss Jenn - even if it hurt me to hear her tell him to call her Jenn 😭💔, it makes sense :'). He's an adult now <3. It's wild and it hurts me xd, but he is. Anyway, I think he gave some really great advice :')). AND AAAHHHHHHH Y'ALL OUR DREAMS CAME TRUE!!!! POSSIBLE EJ AS EAST HIGH DRAMA TEACHER REFERENCE!!! WHAT WE'VE ALL BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS :DDDD XDD!!! I love that for us LOL 🥰🥰🥰❤️. But seriously, I think he does at least become an assistant director in the future :'). And when Miss Jenn retires, he takes over <3333. I mean, it's even practically what Gina said about him x'd - he taught her about herself :'). I love him so much <333 😭❤️❤️❤️🥰.

Maddox being sad over Ashlyn is my personal death y'all 😭. Also the fact that they mutually confessed and then were just like "well, I guess the only option now is. . . to stay friends 😬😌😐👉👉" - you idiots xDD. And AAAHHHHHH MADISON SENDING THE BALLOONS FOR MADDOX TO GIVE TO ASHLYN 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️!!! OH MY GOSH I'M SO NOT OKAY <3333. Also I'm glad her and Madison are on good terms :')). ALSO THE HAND KISS!!! OH MY GOSH 😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. I love them <3333. Anyway, Maddox is just. Amazing :'). I'm so glad she was here this season <3. I love her :'DD ❤️❤️🥰🥰.

ASHLYN FINALLY KISSED MADDOX OH MY GOSH!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH :'DDDDD!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰!!!!! I'M NOT OKAY :DDDDD!!! They're so cute oh my gosh 😭😭😭❤️❤️. AND THE TREE TRUNK!!!!! AAAAHHHHHHHH OH MY GOSH ❤️😭😭😭❤️🥰. I'm not okay y'all <333. I love them so much :')). Also Ashlyn's reaction to Maddox leaving 😭😭😭💔❤️. I'm so glad she doesn't have to <3333 :')). I'm so happy for them :')) :'DD. Anyway :'). Ashlyn slayed playing Kelsi :'D! And what Gina said about her :'D - yeah :'). Ashlyn truly is the queen of changing her identity (I mean that in a good way lol), but also still being sure of her identity in between those times :')). I love her so much <333.

MR. MAZZARA AND MISS JENN ARE FINALLY TOGETHER :'DDDD!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥳🥳🥳🥳 WHOOOOOO!!!!! WHOOHOOO FINALLY :'DDDDD!!!!! My babeys 🥰🥰.

And about them separately lol, MR. MAZZARA GETS TO GO BACK TO NEW ZEALAND AND TRY AGAIN :'DDD!! I'm so happy for him :')). And while he slayed playing Coach Bolton, he slayed doing sound too :')). Also him being like "yeah I'm totally not doing so much right now" was great LOL. Honestly kind of a mood xD, though luckily that didn't happen to much to me on lights lol. Anyway, I'm just glad he was there supporting everyone and being amazing this episode :')). Always right there, helping them through it 😭😭❤️🥰. Also how he didn't HESITATE to rip up the letter lol xD. Iconic 😌. As always :'). I love him so much <3333.

MISS JENN'S STAYING!!!! WHOOOO :'DDD!!! She would've been amazing, but I'm so glad she's staying 😭❤️❤️. She's here for Emmy, and Jet and Maddox, and all of the Juniors who were OGs :')). And the second semester for the Seniors too!! She can keep being amazing for them <333 :'DD. Just like Gina said - she gets to be that mom for all of them, and teach them it's about creating something you love :') 😭😭😭❤️. And I just love that :'). She slayed playing Ms. Darbus :'DD. I love her so much <3333.

KOURTNEY AND MO!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH OH MY GOSH THE COMBO I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED!!!! That talk was EXACTLY what Kourtney needed 😭😭😭❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰. Also AAHHHH Kourtney's talk with Jet :'DDD. It was so amazing and sweet 🥰🥰. And AAHHHHH she felt happy at Lewis :'DDD!!! And it came to her mind immediately :'))). I'm so happy for her and proud of her <333. She really is one of, if not the, bravest people in the show <333. What she's done is no easy feat, it's DIFFICULT, with anxiety and without, and again, I'm just so proud of her :'))). Her anxiety storyline means so much to me and I loved it 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️. And yeah - she is the best fashionista xD. She slayed playing Sharpay 🥰🥰🥰🥰 :DD!! I love her so much <3333 ❤️❤️❤️😭🥰.

RICKYYYY HE SAID IT!!! HE DID IT!!! HE SANG THE THING 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰 :'DDD!! HE TOLD GINA HE LOVES HER :'DDDDDD!!!! I'm so proud of him :')). And AAAHHHHH one last "Am I too late?" :')). As it should be <33. Also, his speech to all of the was just- 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️💔 I'm not okay. I know that feels. Theatre is just like :'). And it makes me so emotional but it's just so accurate, and wonderful <33. Also, he slayed playing Troy :'D. AND AAAHHH THE RUN AND THE GUITAR!! AND THAT SONG WAS BEAUTIFUL 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. I'm so glad he got the chance :')). And Y E S I'm glad Ricky was the one to suggest where they go :'D - one more season 1 parallel :'). And just, what Gina said about him <33. It's so beautiful in a Rina sense 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️, obviously, but it extends beyond that. He's been the one to welcome, and include, and encourage, since pretty much the beginning :')). And I love that so much <333. Anyway, his reaction to not getting to tell Gina he loved her before the press conference hurt 😭😭. And YESSS Gina's mom finally approving :'D. He doesn't need it, but I'm glad he got it <333. Also, again, his scene with Big Red was amazing <333. Besties since the beginning :')). And continuing on <33. And of course, I loved how he was practicing saying I love you more to people :')). I'm so happy for him <333. I love him so much ❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰😭.

GINA'S FILMING THE MOVIE IN SALT LAKE!!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :'DDDD!!! I'M SO GLAD :'DDD 🥰🥰🥰😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️!! ALSO OVOEANOCMPW THE HAT????!!?! OH MY GOSH GIRL 😭😭❤️ XD. She slayed playing Gabriella 🥰🥰🥰. And oh my gosh, her SPEECHES 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️💔💔💔💔🥰🥰. I've already talked about what she said to everyone, but they were just all so so SO amazing. And I've heard some of that stuff said like that at senior speeches before, so it's definitely accurate xdd. But seriously, it was so emotional 😭😭. I know the cast was obviously SUPER emotional as well xd, but nonetheless, the acting was amazing <333. Superb :')). Gina has come so far, and learned so much, and I am just so, so proud of her, and happy for her <333. And I'm so glad she's staying at East High :'DDD. AND getting to do the movie still :')!! And again, the love song was BEAUTIFUL 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️🥰. And she slayed at that press conference lol. I love her so much <333.

Now, hey, I'm allowed to put Seblos last if I want to xDD. It's my finale post :')).

SEB'S DAD KNEW THE WHOLE TIME SLFKFHDKGS!!!! That's so amazing lol <333. Amazing as in it's funny and it's a good thing xD. But seriously that was so funny lol. I am disappointed we didn't get Seb on stage, like acting lol, but I'm glad he was there for curtain call :'DDD 🥰. Even if him and Big Red had no reason this-show-wise to be up there XDD. I'm just happy that he was :')). Also his run up to Carlos after talking about his dad and holding him was so cute 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️🥰 stop I'm not okay <333. And AAAHHHHHH they get to go on their trip 🥰🥰. And again, I loved that their wasn't any animosity towards Big Red :'). But seriously that moment was so cute 😭❤️❤️. And honestly I loved what Gina said about him, especially after the cheating plot this season. Because he really is an angel, he is like a dog in human form lol xD, and he still sees the world pretty pure :')) 🥰. And I just think it shows that even though he made mistakes, he still is and does those things. He's still Seb <3333 😭❤️❤️🥰. And I think that was really needed for all of us :')). Also he went OFF in the limo LOL xD. He really said "step aside" with that belt xD. He slayed, so hard <333 🥰🥰. I love him so much <3333 🥰🥰❤️❤️.

CARLOS HAPPY AGAIN IS MY REWARD FOR THE FIRST SIX EPISODES!!!! XDD!! It keeps randomly hitting me that this is the Last Season, that although luckily we got happy Seblos at the end this is genuinely the last we're gonna see of them and I just- oh gosh that hurts 😭😭😭❤️. But again, their moment after the show (and the ones during curtain call 😭!!!) was SO CUTE AND AMAZING 😭😭😭❤️. Carlos slayed playing Ryan :'DD 🥰🥰🥰❤️. And he really is so funny x'DDD. It also makes me so happy that Gina talked about being co-choreographers with him :')) - something that started way back in season 2, but honestly season 1 unofficially <333. They've always had dance as a connection, and I'm just so happy they have that in each other :')). And I believe something similar to "we just kept dancing" was said at the Quinceñero, which :')))) 😭😭😭😭❤️🥰❤️❤️❤️. That kills me <3. Their friendship just means so much to me :')) :'D <333. Anyway :')). I love how he was kinda the one to set Miss Jenn and Benjamin (he deserves for me to call him by his first name at least once LOL xD) up xDD :'D <33. Like, he was the one who brought up the plane tickets and stuff :')). I mean, they were already pretty close to becoming a thing, but he showed us the audience the official moment of it lol, so I'm grateful for that xD. But that it was him, the one who was by Miss Jenn's side from day one :'), and even used to be enemies with Mr. Mazzara? Was the reason, or at least was half the subject of that scene lol, we met Mr. Mazzara :'DD? Perfect <333. Full circle :')). But yeah <3. I love him so much :'DD <33 ❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰.

And a bit of specifically Seblos :'D. After everything they've been through this season, I'm so glad we got two episodes of them being adorable and mostly happy 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️🥰. I mean, we had to deal with the Seb's dad stuff, but it was pretty good (like easy wise ish I guess? Like not too bad) and they were adorable :'D. AND THEY GET TO GO ON THEIR TRIP 🥰🥰🥰!!! I'm so excited for them :'D. Especially after they lived it LOL. Anyway, their moments during curtain call were amazing <333. And LOL SLFKGHJS their kiss going viral xDD. As it should 😌😌. Slay for them lol xD. Also, them running out of the school together 😭❤️❤️. I'm pretty sure they're holding hands in the first shot <3333. Also I love the lines they sing in Born to Be Brave :')). And AAAHHHHHH THEM BEING THE FIRST ONES TO START SINGING BESIDES RINA DURING LOVE YOU FOREVER 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰. AKCIEHSODNWP I LOVE THEM SO MUCH <33333.

Now, group moments :'))). CONGRATS ON A GREAT SHOW EVERYONEEE!!!! YOU ALL SLAYED INCLUDING MY ENSEMBLE AND BACKGROUND CHARACTER LOVELIES :'DDDDD <3333. What a great last curtain call :')).

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THAT RUN OUT TO GO SUPPORT GINA :'DDDDD!!! I LOVED IT SOOOO MUCH 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰!!!! IT WAS SO EPIC :'DDDD!!!!

And oh my gosh 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️🥰. ALL OF THEM SINGING LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!! I!! AM!! NOT!! OKAY!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰 I LOVE ALL OF THEM FOREVER <333333!!!!! It was so beautiful, the song and the scene and both our together :'DD. And all of them coming forward- oh my gosh 😭😭😭❤️🥰.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE RUN OUT OF THE SCHOOL :'DDDD 😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰!!!! Once again, an epic and iconic moment 😭😭😭😭❤️🥰. I love them all so much :'D.

Y'all it is the way I was screaming (saying but the emotion was screaming) "DENNY'S!! GO TO DENNY'S!!!!"

AND

THEY

DID!!!!!!!!!!!

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰 THAT WAS LITERALLY THE PERFECT ENDING 😭😭❤️❤️❤️💔🥰🥰🥰🥰 <333333 :'DDDD!!!!

And it wasn't just perfect as a nod to theatre kids, but it was a reference/parallel to Season 1, when Nini said: "Usually the theatre kids cry and then we go to Denny's." :'))). I love them all so much 😭😭❤️.

And don't even talk to me about Born to Be Brave :'DDD. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! THE PERFECT SONG TO END THE SERIES ON :'DDDDD 😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰 <333333!!

And y'all 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️💔💔🥰

FOR GOOD??!?!!!?!?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I'm pretty sure that was just the cast, not the characters, and I just- it was so, so amazing 😭😭😭😭❤️💔🥰🥰. And goshdarnit it made me feel things xdd. As of this entire episode didn't have me as a wreck lol 🙄 xd xD. But seriously, it was SO GOOD, and it reminded me of the Beauty and The Beast announcement, as well as You Are The Music In Me from after Season 2 :'))). I just love this cast so freaking much ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😭😭😭😭💔💔🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰.

The music this episode was P H E N O M E N A L!!!!! It was all SO amazing and all so emotional too 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️. The cast are all such wonderful singers and the songs are all so well put together and beautifully written :')). I am so grateful for all of the amazing music of this show <3333. Don't even talk to me about any of the songs this episode, I'm still not okay over them :')). Special shout out to For Good for being most likely from the cast :')). And being one last reference, as it relates to Miss Jenn's offer <3. The meta show gets one more meta moment :'))) <3333.

This episode was so amazing. It was, quite possibly, the perfect finale <333. Obviously, I have things I wish happened, in this episode and in the season and show as a whole. But it told the story. And it told it well :')). It gave these characters an immensely satisfying ending, and, more importantly in this case? A happy one :'). They deserved that <333. And we deserved to be shown that we can. Especially theatre kids <33 ❤️. And still, amongst all these emotions, they still managed to make this episode HILARIOUS :'DDD. I can't with them, this show is too good xD. I LOVED THIS EPISODE SO, SO, SO, SO MUCH <33333 ❤️❤️❤️😭😭😭❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰!!!!!!

It's been over 12 hours since I finished the episode. It's hit me a couple of times that this was it, but it hasn't truly sunk in yet xd. I don't know if it ever will lol. But, for this being it? It was an amazing way to go <333 ❤️.

This show means so much to me. I've been emotional and sentimental this whole time x'd, and as I've said, I'll make a separate post about this, but I have to say it here. I will never get over HSMTMTS. And frankly? I never want to :'). Thank you to everyone who made this show possible <333 - I am truly, truly grateful ❤️❤️❤️. Possibly more than you'll ever know :').

And thank you to this fandom. Whenever I think it's too crazy, or I'm not involved, you guys are there to remind me :'). Thanks for being my Wildcat family throughout all of this <3. It means so much to me ❤️.

What team?

Wildcats :').

What team?

Wildcats :'D.

Wildcats.

Getcha head in the game <3.

What an amazing season guys :')) <3 ❤️. I loved it :'D.

And that is the end of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

I loved it <3

[fizzingwizard]

At last I caved and am watching new!Xmen 97. Two eps in so far.

The animation is good, it really is... They leaned into the retro style but cleaned up and it looks great. But so far there's next to no atmosphere (except for Storm's bits lol). Even in the middle of the night everyone's lit up bright as day lol. Pet peeve of mine.

Also I really wish western animators would learn a little about dynamic storyboarding from anime. Especially since the faces can be so unemotional, it's important to let body language, lighting, and framing convey what they won't use faces for so they won't look "unmanly"

When the voice actors are talking about normal stuff, they sound awesome. When they're talking about X-men stuff, they sound like they stepped out of the 90s yesterday. Lol. Makes me batty. That one scene where Jean's like "I remember when all of existence was on the brink of destruction and there was Scott" and then segues into some nice female support group with Ororo is a good example.

The jokes are funny. Like they are actually funny you guys x'D Wolvie vs Scott has me in stitches. Beast of course has the best lines. Gambit's pretty good too.

Scott makes a really good show these first couple episodes. I'm enjoying him. He's a lot like X-men Evo Scott. Animated Scotts are always so chipper compared to comics Scott, but at least he's not all burnt out like WatXM Scott or all one note like movie Scott.

They let Jean fight while pregnant! I mean... she was just sitting there using her psychic powers... but still. She fought while pregnant! lol.

When she went into labor I thought it was a missed opportunity for some peak humor. Like they got a good start with Wolvie being her only option for getting her to the hospital, and then the chaos on the ride over was funny. But they ruined it by making half the team just quit fighting and go to the hospital. Of course it's important for Scott to be there, but... Honestly I think it would've been funnier if Jean had no one but Logan. Also Rogue saying "what if I touch the baby by accident" kinda baffled me because no one should be touching a newborn, let alone the mother, without gloves...

Morph upsets me xD In a nice way, I guess. Like they're clearly a stand in for Deadpool. Yes, comics Morph is also like that, but still... they're here to be this universe's Wolverine's Deadpool. And they haven't even had that many good lines yet! I'm sure there'll be more as the season goes on but. Then they even cheer up Logan with not only a six pack of beer but a good old bout of wrestling? CMON THAT'S LOGAN AND KURT'S THING. lol. I'm so offended. No not really. But kinda. Anyway. Morph is sweet even though they've stolen Crawler's role with the beer and the friendly fisticuffs and the insecurity etc etc.

For a less extremely personal and subjective opinion on Morph... I actually am slightly bugged that they're here only because their power is morphing. So the X-men have got Rogue, who can imitate anyone's power once she absorbs it, and Morph, who can just imitate anyones power by morphing. If they have limits in this show it's not clear as of yet. So that is too much power on the X-men if you ask me. Can they not just morph into Juggernaut or something? It is really challenging to balance all X-men powers and use them logically. I feel like you shoot yourself in the foot by tossing in too many of the overpowered types.

I LIKE MORPH OKAY I DO. DON'T COME FOR ME. I'M JUST A DEPRIVED X-FAN FROM YER MOM'S GENERATION OKAY

On a very positive note, I'm thrilled that it's only two episodes in and almost everyone on the cast has stuff to do! Scott and Jean obvs - Magneto and Xavier - Jubilee and (potentially) Roberto - Rogue and Gambit (to be fair Gambit's not really happened yet but the seeds are planted with his crush on Rogue and her involvement with Magneto) - and of course Storm. I'm kinda nervous right now because 97!Storm is one of the best Storms ever, and if she's depowered and gone from the team for long the show will really miss her... But that was a great story arc for her in the comics and I'm really hoping it pans out well in this season too.

notice I didn't mention Wolverine. Well Wolverine's always involved in stuff. I don't have to worry about him lol. I'm happy to let someone else be more relevant to the story for a while.

So the hits keep coming and they don't stop coming, which is great, because everyone has something to do, but is also nuts, because boy the show moves fast. Take a breather ffs. It's EPISODE TWO lmao.

Overall I guess it's what I would have expected from a sequel to the old TAS series, but also rather better than what I would have expected. So that's pretty great.

[crystal-lillies]

Scattered Day-After Thoughts on the xxxHolic 2022 Live Action movie

(shout out to @skellietoonz for the help finding a means to watch it)

These thoughts aren't in any particular order, and they range from silly jokes to serious constructive criticism on the film's structure/plot/layout. Spoilers for xxxHolic across the board (manga, anime, etc.).

-it really was Watanuki's fantasy paradise to have a date with Doumeki every single day. AND Doumeki was able to see the shop after Watanuki took over which means he had a wish, and since he stayed with Watanuki when a new customer came in, clearly his wish was to be with Watanuki!! Dudes just kiss already!!! X'D

-those edits between scenes man. What drugs were the editing team on and are they okay. I've never seen any live action anime edited that way and I've seen a lot of decent and shitty and B-movie live action anime. and, well. live action movies in general, all across the spectrum. there are very few with that kind of editing and fewer can pull it off well.

-Watanuki is homeless now, I guess. he has nowhere to go aside from the shop. boy what the heck were you doing before, where is your apartment that's identical to the Chobits apartment, how are you even alive to contemplate taking your own life HELLO???

-I think the movie's overarching story would have been stronger had Jorogumo just been an original villain since she's basically adapted in name only. I actually really like the anti-Yuko angle, like, the person who Grants Your Desire but in the most chaotic evil way possible without your knowledge vs Yuko who tells you straight up what will happen if she does what you're asking for. (Almost like the monkey's paw episode/chapters but expanded in a way that we haven't seen in xxxHolic before.)

-I'm glad that they weren't too chicken to take out Himawari accepting Watanuki's scars as payment, but they WERE too chicken not to include best bird Tanpopo afterwards. The thing Watanuki WAS ABLE TO DO and DID to help Himawari!!! Gift her a friend that wouldn't be harmed so she would always have a companion!!! Best baby bird!!! Alas. Must have been that Yuko costume budget.

-Mokona also was a casualty of that budget I bet. also for plot reasons lmao. Larg was able to swallow up the spirits from the Hundred Ghost Stories in no time flat, early on in the story. Offbrand Jorogumo and her creepy simp man trying to release evil spirits the whole movie and this little black manju bun would swallow it in seconds. thank u next. Larg was too strong. and also could not survive budgets. 0/10 no mokona

-Yuko's death transition is one of the saddest, gut wrenching, heartbreaking parts of the original story, and it's built up so well and foreshadowed so often not only in the manga but also the anime that divorced itself from crossover. Once the story gets there, it tears you into pieces. The movie does not earn that. I legitimately had to hold myself back from laughing, like. wait, Now??? you're doing this Now??

-Also the movie Watanuki had not grown more than half an inch of development and now he's running the shop??? Djdsjfdjg it took SO much development for him to do that and he is practically a different character by that point in the manga and anime to the fact it's emotionally painful for him to pretend to be how he used to be (xxxHolic Rei kicking me straight into the center of the earth)

-but seriously why did she die though. why was THAT the thing that did it. lmao.

-I DID appreciate the darker kind of end for the Lying Woman. In the manga, she died. In the anime, she got off pretty scot-free imo (even though it has a hopeful ending I am in the headspace for more often than not). but in the movie holy shit. she almost died, but she was being eaten away psychologically by her own lies in semi-physical form and that's exactly the kind of thing I was more or less expecting from this movie. a straddle between the manga and the anime.

-loved the colored manga pages transition to the title card too, that was a nice flourish.

-no ame-warashi. 0/10. she'd have smacked the emo right out of watanuki with her umbrella

-Watanuki's Bad Luck Fall was also like. 10x more brutal than the anime and manga and honestly. I kinda give them props for making it that extra brutal. (but not for cutting the audience out of the details of what Actually happened until the very end in that choppy non sequitur style)

overall, I'm glad I saw it finally! the movie really did a near literal speedrun of the xxxHolic story to get to a few spots at the end, but the emotional impact of the end is bare scraps of what it is in full context.

I give the creative team credit for attempting it, and to their credit, the sets and costumes are good and have their own distinct vibe. and I do give them credit for trying to emulate the dreamlike haze of some of the chapters' story arcs, even if it wasn't always successful.

But I'd say if someone really wants to do a live action version of the later xxxHolic arcs...I'd stick with a TV show format. that seems to work better with manga adaptations that already have anime episodes paced out for TV. and limited series style like an OVA. assume the audience has seen the thing, do maybe a quick montage/explanation of catchup in the first episode if need be, and then focus hard on the adaptation.

thank you for coming to my post-CLAMP day TEDtalk

[fff777]

reaction part 2 to 7llin' with dream episode 3

Aw is Chenle actually going to go with Jisung? :3

Jisung's hyungs love him so much. But also Nomin in particular take care of him so much.

So no Chenji shenaniganery I guess

Chenle asked Jisung to grill the mushrooms too and Jisung said he didn't want to but took one look at Chenle and immediately changed his tune lol

Anytime Jisung does anything, it's a group project

Jaemin has not stopped bitching about not having green onions

They found green onions in the kit for the oysters

Jeno's doing all the work lol

I think Jisung was asking if they could turn the heat up on the closed grill lol

Inside, they are discussing the songs on the mini album

The grill is very slow so the guys might have to grill the meat on the stove. This reminds me of EXO Showtime where Kyungsoo and Jongdae were struggling with cooking outside and Chanyeol just cooked the meat inside lol.

Back to Mark and the green onions lol. Renjun was like keep talking bitch.

Trying the cooking wine as an actual beverage

Both Mark and Jisung don't like the fishy taste of seafood :o

The way Jisung talks about stuff is so romantic lol. Times like these I feel like I should learn Korean to understand what he's actually saying. Anyway he's asking Jaemin if cooking is like muscle memory to him. I don't think it really is because there's a lot of judgment/eye test that comes with cooking. And then Jisung compared Jaemin to his grandma lol.

Jaemin called the induction stove 'highlight' (as in the lights are like highlights?) and everyone thought it was cute :3

I think this wow part is from one of their new songs (if I remember correctly from the teasers)

So Jeno and Chenle love mushrooms but Jisung dislikes them

Other than Jaemin who's the top chef, I think Donghyuck, Renjun, and Chenle are decent cooks as well? Mark and Jisung are the ones who don't cook at all lmao. I'm guessing Jeno is an ok chef. We need to bring back NCT cooking shows :P

All of the guys praising the meat that Jaemin cooked <3 <3 <3

Stuffing his mouth while grabbing paper towels

Mark fights back

Donghyuck getting quiet when he lost the argument X'D But he did pour a drink for Mark so he acknowledges defeat XD

Asking Jisung if he doesn't need a birthday gift this year

Wait...what does one buy with a google gift card...is it for games?

Lol Mark was the same as me, he was like what the heck is a google mobile gift card X'D and Jeno, being the one who knows Jisung the best had to explain

Donghyuck suddenly in pain after eating ginger ^^;;

They're getting sentimental, talking about how their last mini-album (excluding Christmas special album Candy) was Reload, which Mark did not participate for, and before that was We Go Up

The dragons stepping up because it's their year <3 Donghyuck has been rather serious this evening but that's how we know he really means it (y)

I wonder if Jaemin and Jeno don't drink or just don't like drinking. They're going to play a drinking game but Nomin specifically won't drink.

Jaemin's 'trying not to laugh' face

The way Jaemin has no shame